Queen’s University Belfast
Library Services
Resource Development & Management Policy
1. Introduction
This document describes the Library’s Resource Development and Management
Policy. It includes general guidelines on their selection, management and
rationalisation in support of teaching and research.
2. General Policy
The Library’s goal is to “provide high quality library services and resources in support
of the education and research activities of the students and staff of the University and
of our other customer groups.”
Library resources include primary and secondary material in print and electronic
formats.
The acquisition of material and the management of the Library’s collections are
informed by, and prioritised according to, the University’s current and projected
teaching and research strategies. The Library does not aim to cover all areas of
knowledge.
A key element of the policy is the balance between local provision and remote
access. In essence, this translates into local provision of material required to support
teaching programmes, with support for research achieved through supplementing
what is available locally with remotely accessible resources, either on an electronic or
Inter-Library-Loan basis.
3. Principles
Certain principles underpin the overall policy:
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Resources are provided as a collective resource for the whole user community
Information resources in all formats are covered
The Library is committed to providing equitable access to all users, including
those with special needs
The policy is designed to be flexible and responsive to the changing needs of
users
Resource development and management involves Library Services in working
with the academic community
The provision of all resources covered by this policy is constrained by prevailing
budgets
Very specialized resources, which are likely to be relevant to only a small number
of users will not generally be purchased by the Library without financial support
from the relevant School/Institute or from an external source.
Library Services will take advantage of JISC negotiated deals wherever possible.
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Where services exist in different formats or are available in different versions from
different suppliers, Library Services will aim to select the best option on the basis
of cost, ease of use, access and currency.
Whenever practicable, Library Services will aim to provide full-text access to
electronic services, where appropriate and economic.
Library Services will consider for cancellation, paper versions of services where
electronic equivalents are provided. Paper equivalents will not normally be
maintained unless the subscription ‘package’ includes both versions at favourable
cost. In such cases, Library Services may opt for non-delivery of print in order to
defray the ongoing cost of storing and managing this format if it is not specifically
required.
Library Services will monitor the use of all electronic information services and
employ usage data to review continuing provision.
4. Budget Allocation
The University’s recurrent allocation forms the largest part of the Information Services
budget. Library Services, including the purchase of books, journals and subscription
to electronic information services, are funded from this allocation. In addition, the
University has external contractual arrangements with DHSS&PS and AFBI for the
provision of certain subject-specific Library services.
The budget for the purchase of books and journals is allocated for School support on
the basis of a range of factors and, where possible, adjustments are made to take
account of changing requirements.
While Library Services aims to support new areas of research, budget constraints
mean that provision in existing areas will generally need to be reviewed/adjusted to
enable the purchase of new resources.
5. Resource Selection
a. Books
Book purchases currently account for approximately 11% of expenditure on
Library stock. There is constant pressure on the book budget and staff seek
value for money and best use of resources at all times – e.g. staff consider
projected levels of use and durability required, as well as relative cost, before
deciding between paperback and hardback editions.
Queen’s University Belfast is now operating under the terms of the Joint
Consortia Agreement for Books, Standing Orders, E-books and Related
Material (1 August 2013 - 31 July 2015). As a result, the majority of our
English language book orders must be placed with a single supplier identified
by the consortium.
i. Reading list material
Library Services staff work closely with academic staff to ensure that
the Library acquires all material on current reading lists to support
undergraduates and postgraduates on taught courses. The number of
copies purchased will be affected by the following considerations:
(i)
cost of the title in relation to the budget allocation;
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(ii)
anticipated use (e.g. primary text or supplementary material);
and
(iii)
whether students are expected to purchase the book or not.
Where multiple copies are purchased, consideration will also be given
to appropriate loan categories and location – i.e. there are a variety of
short loan options. Copies may also be moved across loan categories
and locations according to demand.
ii. Non-reading list material
Library Services will endeavour to purchase other items recommended
by staff and students, where such additions will:
(i)
(ii)
encourage students to study a wide range of relevant material;
and
assist staff in keeping up-to-date with developments in their
subjects and in pursuing research
iii. E-books
The Library holds significant collections of electronic books and the
same principles of collection development apply to this as to any other
format of material. Electronic books are collected/subscribed to in
direct support of the teaching and research needs of the University
community.
iv. Donations
A separate Donations Policy has been drawn up and is available on
the Library website at:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/InformationServices/TheLibrary
/CustomerService/PoliciesandRegulations/
v. Replacements
Items that are lost or seriously damaged, will be replaced, provided
funds are available and provided the item is still in print and is required
to support a current teaching programme or the research interests of
the University.
b. Academic Journals
Journals represent an expensive and ongoing commitment. Therefore, the
journals budget and subscription lists are reviewed in collaboration with
Schools on an annual basis. Because of the ongoing pressure on the journals
budget, existing titles will normally need to be cancelled to allow for the
purchase of new titles.
The majority of journals are now available in electronic format either as
individual titles, as part of database services or as part of national (NESLI) or
publisher deals. Electronic access offers significant advantages to users and
while it can be a costly alternative to print, it is now the format of choice for
Library Services and reflects the information delivery preference of the
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majority of our users. When a new electronic subscription is placed, a print
subscription will only be retained in exceptional circumstances.
New delivery methods and pricing models for electronic journals are kept
constantly under review by Library staff.
c. Electronic Information Services
A wide range of resources are now available in electronic format. Typically,
these include: digital collections (maps, newspapers, and images), official
publications, reference works, statistics and abstracting and indexing services.
Library Services selects such materials on the same basis as their printed
equivalents.
Information Services aims to provide direct access to a range of appropriate
bibliographic databases to support the major academic disciplines and areas
of study taught at the University. Subject Librarians keep abreast of database
developments and initiate consideration of new electronic sources in
consultation with appropriate academic staff. They also conduct trials and
demonstrations and bring forward recommendations for purchase.
Library Services aims to provide direct access to appropriate multidisciplinary
electronic information services (e.g. Web of Science).
d. Special Collections
The Henry (or Hibernica) Collection is the core element of the Library’s
Special Collections. Its scope embraces academic texts on Irish-related
subjects, as well as non-academic material relating to Northern Ireland and
Ulster in particular, with otherwise a bias to the northern part of the island.
Where funds permit, material printed in the British Isles during the decade
1651-1660 is acquired as part of a national co-operative scheme.
An attempt is also made to acquire published material relating to any of the
Library’s major manuscript or printed book collections or to Queen’s University
Belfast.
In terms of journal subscriptions, nominations from members of the University
are welcomed and suitable items are purchased in perpetuity within the
constraints of the budget.
e. Official Publications
Official publications include those of government and inter-governmental
bodies (e.g. the EU, UN). The Library aims to ensure that British and Irish
Parliamentary publications are available in print or digital format as
appropriate. Print or electronic access is also provided for a selection of nonParliamentary publications.
The publications of other inter-governmental organisations form part of subject
collections and their purchase is approved by the relevant Subject Librarian.
Under the terms of HMSO Copyright Guidance Note no.11 (The National
Published Archive — Legal Deposit of Official Publications, Nov. 2000), print
copies of all Northern Ireland official publications should be sent to the McClay
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Library at Queen's. Library staff make every effort to ensure that all current
Northern Ireland official publications are collected.
f.
Theses
According to QUB regulations (Regulations for Theses (B) 3), one bound copy
of every thesis successfully submitted for a Higher Degree must be deposited
in the University Library. This collection of QUB theses is held in the McClay
Library closed access store. All theses are recorded in the Library catalogue,
and may be consulted in the Library or photocopied in whole or in part if the
author has given permission.
There is increasing national interest in electronic submission, storage and
searching of theses and Library Services will keep a watching brief on these
developments.
The Library does not collect or store undergraduate or taught postgraduate
dissertations unless they are exceptional in nature or incorporate content of
significant local or other interest.
g. Newspapers
Since the local public library provides comprehensive coverage of British and
Irish daily newspapers, Queen’s makes minimal print provision in this area in
support of current affairs interests. Access to significant UK, European and
international collections is available electronically.
For archival and space-saving reasons, the microform version of The Times is
acquired.
h. Audio-Visual Materials
The Library maintains a growing collection of audio-visual materials. A DVD
collection is maintained in support of a range of subject areas in the Arts &
Humanities.
The Library holds collections of microforms, both film and fiche. Microfilms and
microfiche are acquired when the desired material is available only in this
format, or when it is considerably less expensive and sufficiently usable in this
format. Microform is also acquired for the preservation of certain titles,
particularly manuscripts and newspapers.
i.
Scanned Readings
Current licensing arrangements allow the Library to scan journal articles and
book extracts for students enrolled on a particular module. These must be
either print originals owned by the University (normally the Library), or
‘Copyright cleared' copies requested from the British Library through the InterLibrary Loans service
Where the Library scans articles and chapters on behalf of Schools, these are
made available through Queen’s Online. The Library also undertakes to
provide reports to the Copyright Licensing Agency as required by the current
CLA licence and to add appropriate copyright statements.
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6. Collection Management
This section summarises policies in relation to management of the Library collections.
a. Missing items
Searches are undertaken for all items reported as missing. Replacement copies
are offered if items are not found within a fixed time frame and appropriate
revisions are made to the Library catalogue.
b. Stock checks
An ongoing programme of stock checks is carried out whereby material on the
shelves is checked against what is recorded in the Library catalogue. Missing
books may be replaced according to criteria in 5a (v) but otherwise records are
withdrawn from the catalogue.
c. Binding & other forms of preservation
Journals
The criteria used to decide whether or not to bind individual journal titles is based
on availability of electronic access. Where electronic access is available, journal
titles are no longer bound.
Books in need of repair
The criteria for deciding whether to repair damaged or worn out books are
analogous to those for replacement. If the item is to be retained, it may be
replaced rather than rebound if this is more cost-effective.
Flimsy or multi-part items may be given covers, placed in boxes etc. if necessary
for preservation or control.
d. Withdrawal of lesser used material
Multiple copies, out-of-date and superseded editions of textbooks may be
withdrawn if no longer required.
Closed print runs of journal titles now available electronically will be considered
for withdrawal on a case-by-case basis.
Withdrawal of other material does not normally take place without consultation by
Library Services on the criteria to be used.
7. Policy Review
Changes to this policy will be made in the light of new developments, emerging
disciplines and evolving trends. It will be reviewed in consultation with Library
users on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to reflect the priorities of the
University.
September 2014